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October 24, 2009 12:10 AM
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You ride it out the best you can. Parents should certainly always call ahead and check to make sure that any party they attend is kid-friendly. It's part of the parent code.
But once they've been so very rude, you can't do the same right back and admonish them. What's done is done and there's no need to cause a scene at your beautiful gathering. So you have to suck it up and be the brilliant hostess you are. Being a hostess often entails being creative and dealing with crises.
So what to do with a kid crisis? Break out the videos and popcorn!!
Find the most child-appropriate video you own (or send your spouse/friend out to the video store in a hurry) and put it on a tv that's preferably away from the party. Make the kids some popcorn (it's not their fault their stuck at a boring grown-ups party!), and check in on them now and then. Maybe bring them in a plate of food from the party, like cheese and crackers. Or a glass of juice or water. If the parents scoff even for a second, remind them that your home and party aren't set up for kids and you're doing the best you can.
Then on your next party invitation, be sure to add in plain print: "No children, please" or "Adults only".
But once they've been so very rude, you can't do the same right back and admonish them. What's done is done and there's no need to cause a scene at your beautiful gathering. So you have to suck it up and be the brilliant hostess you are. Being a hostess often entails being creative and dealing with crises.
So what to do with a kid crisis? Break out the videos and popcorn!!
Find the most child-appropriate video you own (or send your spouse/friend out to the video store in a hurry) and put it on a tv that's preferably away from the party. Make the kids some popcorn (it's not their fault their stuck at a boring grown-ups party!), and check in on them now and then. Maybe bring them in a plate of food from the party, like cheese and crackers. Or a glass of juice or water. If the parents scoff even for a second, remind them that your home and party aren't set up for kids and you're doing the best you can.
Then on your next party invitation, be sure to add in plain print: "No children, please" or "Adults only".
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October 24, 2009 12:21 AM
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Unfortunately this is extremely sticky situation. There are a couple of ways to handle this and the first is to let them know politely that this is an "adult" function only and take the chance of them being offended and leaving the party.
Secondly, if you decide to let the child stay let the parent know that this is an adult function and if & when things begin to escalate they should take their child home. You would prefer for the child to not be subject to what is going on at the party. The same goes if the child is rambunctious. Adults at a cocktail party will not want a "crazy kid" ruining their good time.
Third, you can ignore it and let the child stay for the course of the party and let it be specifically known at the next party it's for adults only. If you make it extremely clear for this party and they still bring their child then you should politely remind the parent that they did this the last time and they should take their child home.
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Secondly, if you decide to let the child stay let the parent know that this is an adult function and if & when things begin to escalate they should take their child home. You would prefer for the child to not be subject to what is going on at the party. The same goes if the child is rambunctious. Adults at a cocktail party will not want a "crazy kid" ruining their good time.
Third, you can ignore it and let the child stay for the course of the party and let it be specifically known at the next party it's for adults only. If you make it extremely clear for this party and they still bring their child then you should politely remind the parent that they did this the last time and they should take their child home.
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October 24, 2009 02:51 AM
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Assuming there were more than just a few other guests, I would probably do everything I physically could to ignore it. I may make some kind of comment about the kids being around alcohol, but that's probably all I could muster. However, the entire family would definitely be off the guest list next time.
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October 24, 2009 05:19 AM
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Admittedly I'm having trouble seeing what's to handle. I would likely just send them off to play with my kids. I don't see a cocktail party as being something so horrible to bring kids to, so what there's alcohol, big deal. Most of my associates and friends have children and finding a baby sitter can be hard, what's harder is missing an event just because you have children. To me a well raised kid isn't a problem at a social meeting involving alcohol, in fact in most cases they make it more fun.
Though I could be misunderstanding your meaning by cocktail party. If someone brought their children to a kegger I was hosting for example I would probably find them a bedroom off limits from the party and rustle up some games and movies for them, but there's a massive difference between a kegger and a cocktail party.
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Though I could be misunderstanding your meaning by cocktail party. If someone brought their children to a kegger I was hosting for example I would probably find them a bedroom off limits from the party and rustle up some games and movies for them, but there's a massive difference between a kegger and a cocktail party.
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October 24, 2009 11:34 PM
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It depends on how the children are behaving. When I was a child, my sister and I went to quite a few cocktail parties and the like because my parents couldn't find babysitters. The understanding was that we were to stay upstairs, out of the way, and certainly not to drink any alcohol. I wouldn't worry, though, about them being around alcohol; in my experience, unless they're around people with alcoholism or the like, children are generally either too young to know what being drunk means, or old enough to know peers who are drinking.
If the children are acting up, though, being loud and at risk of breaking things -- or drinking, for that matter -- it's perfectly within your rights as a host to ask them to leave. It's within your rights at all times, of course, but in that case you'd have a pretty indisputable reason and nobody is likely to get too upset.
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If the children are acting up, though, being loud and at risk of breaking things -- or drinking, for that matter -- it's perfectly within your rights as a host to ask them to leave. It's within your rights at all times, of course, but in that case you'd have a pretty indisputable reason and nobody is likely to get too upset.
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October 26, 2009 02:11 AM
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There's not much you can do without being rude. It depends on the age of the children. If they are old enough to be left alone, I'd escort them to a spare room away from the party with a TV, and make them comfortable, then return to your guests. If you had specifically stated 'no children" your guests were out of line, but it would be rude to make them uncomfortable about it. If you didn't specify "no kids', you've learned a lesson for next time.
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